Hit the Wall (Blythe College)

by Paige, Rochelle

  And now she’d shocked the shit out of me. I hadn’t had a girl say no to anything I’d offered in a very long time. The weird thing was that I kinda liked it—this push and pull between us. It wasn’t easy, but it was fun.

  “But how else am I supposed to even things up between us?”

  “Who said you had to?” she retorted.

  “Me. I did. And my mom. Aubrey would too. You don’t want me to get into trouble with my mom and sister, do you?” I asked, laying on the guilt.

  “No, I wouldn’t,” she sighed. “But does it have to be dinner? My schedule is pretty crazy right now.”

  “I’m sure you can squeeze me in. My mom already did the breakfast thing, and lunch doesn’t really scream ‘Thank you.’”

  I hesitated for a moment, contemplating his offer. “Fine. You can take me to dinner tomorrow night,” she conceded.

  “Awww, c’mon. Not tonight?” I knew that I was pushing it, but I just couldn’t stop myself.

  “I have a shift at the bar again, so that wouldn’t work unless you want to do an early-bird special at the local diner with all the senior citizens.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ll pass on that. Tomorrow night it is then. Pick you up at six?” I replied, wanting to nail down the details.

  “Sure. Now that we have that out of the way, can you let me out? I’ve got stuff to do today before I have to go to work,” she said, gesturing at the lock on her door.

  I watched her climb out of the truck and walk into the dorm. Damn, her ass looked good in jeans. I wouldn’t mind if my thank-you dinner turned into a night of me giving her something to be thankful for, that was for sure.

  As I pulled out of the parking lot, my cell rang with my sister’s ringtone. “Hey,” I answered.

  “Morning, Jackson. You feeling any better? I tried calling the house to check on you, but nobody answered.”

  “Yeah, I'm fine. Just dropped your friend off at her dorm and I'm on my way back to the frat house,” I said.

  “Ugh! I hate you so much. I can't believe that you were basically comatose last night and are perfectly fine this morning. You know that if I come down with so much as a cold I’m knocked out for days. So unfair!” she complained.

  “You snooze you lose, sis. That’s what happens when you’re the runt of the litter,” I teased.

  “Litter!” she laughed. “Dude, you better not let Mom hear you comparing her to a dog or your ass is grass. And there are only two of us, so it’s not like I’m the runt. I’m just younger and prettier than you.”

  “Since you mentioned young and pretty, what do you know about Kaylie?”

  “No!” she yelled in my ear. “Not just no, but hell no. You’re my brother and I love you dearly, but you know that I absolutely hate when you mess around with one of my friends. And I could easily see her becoming one of my few close friends. So do me a favor and don’t go there, okay? There are lots of other girls on campus who I’m sure would be more than happy to entertain you for a night or two if you’re ready to jump back on the crazy train again. Pick one of them instead. Hell, pick a few of them and have a party for all I care.”

  “I didn’t say I was going to mess around with Kaylie. I just asked what you know about her because I’m taking her to dinner to thank her for helping me out last night,” I defended.

  “I know how you are with girls, Jackson. Although I don’t know when the last time was that you had to buy a girl dinner first. Just don’t go there with her, okay? She’s really nice and I don’t want her to hate me when you screw her and toss her aside.”

  “Damn, sis. Give me a little bit of credit here. I owe her one and am just paying her back with a meal, okay?”

  “You don’t have any credit left with me when it comes to my friends, Jackson. I have had too many girls try to become my friend because they want to get closer to you, only to come crying to me when they realize that a night of sex is just that to you and they haven’t bagged you as their boyfriend.”

  “And that’s why you should be thanking me instead of ragging on me about this. Any chick who plays games like that with you deserves to be used,” I reminded her.

  “I know, but Kaylie is different. She’s nice and likes to help people instead of use them to her advantage. My being your sister didn’t factor into our friendship until last night when she helped me out by making sure you were okay.”

  “I thought you’d be happy that I was taking someone like her to dinner, even if it was just to pay her back,” I pointed out.

  “Of course I want you to date someone nice, but you don’t date. You just mess around. Besides which, she isn’t the type of girl who has one-night stands anyway. So go sniff somewhere else.”

  “Jesus, Aubrey. Sniffing around?”

  “Hey, you started it with the whole litter comment. But seriously, don’t fuck up my friendship with Kaylie just because you want to get laid. Okay?” she asked.

  “I hear ya, but I’ve gotta run. Got things to do and places to sniff. Talk to you later, sis,” I said before hanging up on her.

  I didn’t really have any idea what was going to happen at dinner tomorrow night with Kaylie, but I was interested in her in a way I hadn’t been with another girl before. I knew my sister didn’t keep track of my sex life, but it was pretty clear from our conversation that she didn’t know that I’d refrained from one-stands this year. At first it had been because I was focused on Lex being on campus, but once she and Drake had hooked up, I’d realized that it didn’t hold the same appeal it had before. Sure, the sex was great and I missed the release that I’d get. But I’d spent plenty of time fucking around, and I wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted to do anymore. But that sure as hell didn’t mean I’d turn down a night in Kaylie’s bed if she offered.

  CHAPTER 5

  Kaylie

  I crept into our room as quietly as I possibly could, hopeful that Charlotte had fallen back asleep after she’d gotten my text letting her know I was okay and had just fallen asleep last night since I’d been so tired. I hated when she was pissed at me, and I totally got why she was angry right now. I sat down on the bed and pulled off my shoes. I could use a little more sleep myself since it was going to be another late night at the bar.

  “Don’t think for a second that I don’t hear you over there,” I heard Charlotte mumble from under her covers.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  She flung the blankets off her head. “You should be sorry! What the hell happened last night, Kaylie? You let me know you were taking Jackson to his parents’ house, that you got there safely, and then nothing else all night long. You’re damn lucky I didn’t call the cops out on your ass.”

  “I am so sorry, Char. I don’t know what had happened. I think all the craziness from school, the show, and work just caught up with me. I was waiting for his dad to come back and fell sound asleep on the couch. I don’t even really remember going upstairs to crash in Aubrey’s room. If I had been more than half awake, you totally know that I would have let you know that I was just going to stay,” I apologized.

  “You’re lucky I had Aubrey’s phone number handy. I sent her a text asking if she’d heard from you, so she checked with her mom for me,” she told me. “If not, I seriously would be pissed at you this morning. As it is, I barely got any sleep last night.”

  I tossed a pillow at her. “So you knew all along where I was last night? What was up with the text messages then?”

  “Oh, I sent those before I thought to check in with Aubrey. I wasn’t even sure I had her phone number, but you did a group text when we all went to that dance thing. Now shush. I want to try to catch a few more z’s before I have to be up. You know I need my beauty sleep.”

  “Well I was trying to be quiet before you lit into me,” I reminded her.

  “Whatever,” she muttered back at me, rolling away.

  I pulled off my jeans and climbed under the sheets. It was a good thing Char was so tired and didn’t think to ask me more questions. I w
as pretty sure she’d have plenty of them for me when I told her that I was going to dinner with Jackson tomorrow night. I just didn’t know what my answers would be.

  ****

  The rest of the day flew by, so I didn’t really have the chance to talk to Char about it. Or maybe I was just better able to avoid bringing it up to her. After my nap, I had finished up a term paper due Monday and then headed to the dance studio to get some extra practice time in. We had our senior showcase coming up pretty soon, and if I wanted any chance of getting work, then I needed to nail my performance. My aunt had disagreed with my decision to follow in my parents’ footsteps by coming to Blythe. She’d warned me that I was ruining my chances of dancing professionally.

  As much as I hated to admit it, I thought she might be right. But I didn’t regret my decision at all. I’d been able to spend the last four years feeling closer to ever than my parents. Walking the same sidewalks they had back in the day, dancing in the same studio my mom had used, sitting in classrooms wondering how much they’d changed over the years… These were priceless moments to me. She might not have understood because she was still pissed that my mom had followed my dad here for school instead of going to New York. She would never understand my decision to do the same, but I couldn’t help but want to rub it in her face if I got an offer.

  My desire to prove my aunt wrong spurred me on almost as much as my love for dance. She could have made my college years easier for me by offering her support, but she’d chosen not to and left me on my own for living expenses. She’d had no choice about covering my tuition, books, and room because of the terms of my dad’s trust. Their life insurance money had been set aside to make sure I could go to college if anything happened to them. My dad had been a planner like that, and school was really important to him. Which was why I hadn’t just majored in dance. I’d done a double with business administration too.

  Pulling a double major with two completely unrelated subjects and working to support myself didn’t leave a whole lot of time for fun. Or boys. Char always told me that I used my schedule as an excuse to keep guys at arm’s length. It was easier to pick nice guys who let me keep my walls in place and didn’t ask for more than I was willing to give. Guys who were the complete opposite of Jackson Silver.

  So why couldn’t I get him out of my head as I got ready for work? Thoughts of him had popped into my head all day, even while I’d been dancing. Now was the absolute worst time possible to find myself distracted by a guy, no matter how sexy he was.

  That didn’t stop me from putting on extra makeup, wearing my tightest work shirt, and straightening my hair before pulling it back as I got ready for my shift though. I was checking my makeup in the mirror when Char came back into the room after her shower.

  “Well don’t you just look pretty as a picture,” she teased.

  I spun around in a circle like I was showing off a dress. “Why this old thing? I do believe you have one to match. Why don’t you throw it on and we can pretend to be twins!”

  Since she was a fair-skinned redhead with green eyes and I was perpetually tan with dark brown hair and eyes to match, Char just rolled her eyes at me before throwing on her outfit, which pretty much matched mine except she went for a less naughty shirt tonight. Mine said “Want A Piece of Ass?” on the front and had the recipe for the drink on the back. I usually didn’t wear this one since it inevitably resulted in lots of cheesy pickup lines, but I was in the mood to stir up a little trouble tonight. I was sure I’d be serving a lot of shots made with amaretto, Southern Comfort, and sour. At least our boss would appreciate the bump in sales.

  “What’s up with the sassy shirt, hair, and makeup?” Char finally asked while we were driving to the bar. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t love it, but it seems a bit out of the ordinary for you.”

  “I just felt like doing something different,” I answered.

  “And?”

  “And nothing. It’s just a change of pace. That’s all,” I argued

  “Kaylie, you hate change. I mean, I totally get why with what happened after your parents passed away, but you are the poster child for structure and organization. You never wear that shirt, let alone on the busiest day of the weekend when you know there will be a ton of drunk guys at the bar. I know you too well. Something’s going on.”

  Luckily, we were already close to work so she couldn’t grill me too much. “Well, I kind of have a date with Jackson tomorrow night for dinner. Not like a date date. Just a thank-you dinner for helping him out.”

  Char looked at me doubtfully. “And your casual thank-you dinner that isn’t a date made you decide to go for broke tonight and drive all the guys crazy? Clue me in because I don’t see the connection.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe a part of me, a very small part, kind of hopes that he stops by tonight. And after sitting across from him at breakfast in my clothes from the night before without any makeup, I wouldn’t mind looking really nice if he does. That’s all.”

  “Whoa, breakfast?” she asked. “You didn’t mention having breakfast with Jackson. Or that he’s taking you to dinner. And there’s only one reason I can think of that you wouldn’t have spilled the beans right away. You like him! I knew it. Winning!”

  “Geesh, what are you, twelve?” I huffed.

  “Sometimes, yes. But in this case, I am your super-intuitive roommate slash best friend slash co-worker who knows you better than you know yourself sometimes. And I’m super excited that y’all are going to dinner tomorrow night. Even if you refuse to call it a date.”

  “That’s because it’s not a date, Char! It’s not like he asked me out because he’s interested,” I pointed out as I parked the car.

  “Is he taking you somewhere to eat and paying for your meal after picking you up?” she asked.

  “Grrr, you are so frustrating!” I grumbled as I got out of the car and slammed the door.

  “Which is just another way of saying that I’m right and you know it,” Char said, flicking my ponytail. “It’s a date. With Jackson Silver, who has probably never had to take a girl to dinner to get in her panties. Oooh, boy! I’d love to be a fly on that wall. I can’t wait to hear how it all goes.”

  I held the door open for her as we walked in, arguing along the way. “I’m sure there won’t be much to tell. He asked me to dinner because it’s what his mom expected him to do.”

  “Yeah, right. That boy could have found another way to say thanks that didn’t involve spending the evening with you. Besides, you said he flirted you up a bit before. That means he is interested. Just promise me that you won’t have sex with him right away. Let him savor the thrill of the hunt. I made Shane chase me a bit and look how well that’s turned out.”

  “Jesus, Char,” I hissed. “Keep your voice down.”

  “So uptight. You better pull B.O.B. out tonight to work off some of that frustration before your big date,” she stage-whispered.

  “Big date, huh?” I heard Jason, one of the servers, say from behind me as he tapped me on the shoulder. “If you needed to let off some steam, you know you could have just called me, Kaylie. I’d be more than happy to let you use me any way you want.”

  Jason was a huge player, possibly even more so than Jackson. We all swore that he only worked at the bar because it gave him the chance to pick up drunk girls every night. Not that he was ugly or anything and needed the beer goggles to work in his favor. But a guy who I had overheard telling his buddies that last call was like shooting fish in a barrel? I don’t think so.

  I pulled away from him and walked around the bar. I needed to run through my set-up checklist and make sure we were all stocked for the night.

  “Gee, thanks for that oh-so-tempting offer, Jason. But I think I’ll have to pass.”

  Char just laughed as she followed me behind the bar. “Whoopsie. I didn’t realize he could hear me. Sorry about that.”

  “I should make you do breakdown again tonight as punishment.”

  �
��Ooh, punish me baby,” she cooed back.

  I pointed to her side of the bar. “Get to work, you brat!”

  The first couple hours of our shift passed by without too much craziness as the bar started to fill up. I found myself watching the door each time it opened, wondering if Jackson would stop by. I didn’t know why I thought he would since he wasn’t a regular or anything. It was just this weird feeling I had after the look he’d given me when I said I couldn’t do dinner tonight because of work. Like the wheels had been turning in his head.

  After a while, it got busy and I stopped watching the door. There was a group of guys that were getting particularly rowdy, none of whom I recognized so they were probably in town for a game or something. They had that jock look about them, and they were definitely in the running for the most irritating customers of the night. One of them came up to buy their next round of drinks and headed straight towards me. I’d been lucky enough to avoid them so far, as Char had gotten them the last two times, but I guessed they’d taken her on her word when she assured them that she was already taken and not interested.

  A huge grin spread across his face when his eyes dropped to take in my boobs and he realized what my shirt said. “Hell yeah! I want a piece of ass if that’s what you’re offering. You certainly look like a hot one, darlin’,” he drawled.

  I played along. “Well who am I to turn a paying customer down?”

  “Hot damn!” he crowed, leaning towards me over the bar.

  “Ah, ah, ah. Down, boy. Just give me a second,” I said as I gathered the ingredients for his drink. I batted my eyelashes at him as I chilled the shot in the ice shaker. I gave him a flirty grin as I poured into the shot glass and nudged it towards him. “Here you go.”

  “A drink before we head out?” he asked.

  “Head out where?” I played dumb, as though I had no idea he thought he was going to get lucky with me.

  “You know,” he said as he gestured at my shirt.

  “But that’s what that is,” I said.